Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is known for incendiary comments, including denying the Holocaust, held a lecture on environmental issues at a university in Budapest.
An advisor to the former politician told the Iranian agency ILNA that Ahmadinejad travelled to the Hungarian capital on Monday at the invitation of the National University of Public Service (NKE).
Other Iranian media also reported on the appearance. On Wednesday, a video on the internet supposedly showed Ahmadinejad leaving the university.
The university left several media enquiries unanswered. In its publicly accessible calendar of events, there was no mention of a conference on environmental issues or a lecture by the Iranian ex-president.
NKE trains civil servants, police officers, professional military personnel and intelligence officers.
Ahmadinejad is seen as one of the most controversial Iranian politicians of recent decades and has been criticized worldwide for his statements on the Holocaust.
The 67-year-old has since withdrawn from public life in Iran. In recent years, the former president had surprisingly criticized the Iranian government.
The Israeli embassy in Budapest condemned Ahmadinejad's appearance. During his presidency from 2005 to 2013, he pursued a policy that "mocked, minimized and questioned the Holocaust and its victims," the Israeli embassy said.
"The invitation of a self-proclaimed Holocaust denier ... violates the memory of the victims," the diplomatic mission was cited by the Hungarian branch of the Euronews TV channel, which initially reported on the Iranian's appearance.